The Third Eye By ~Gurudevi Ma Satguru Shri Mahashaktiananda
Looking Place The 3rd eye is the gazing point for meditation. It is called the Ajna Chakra; located just above and between the eyebrows. It is referred to as the Goddess Star. Dristhi is the gazing point on which one focuses while performing the asana. There are nine dristhis: the nose, between the eyebrows, navel, thumb, hands, feet, up, right side and left side. Dristhi purifies and stabilizes the functioning of the mind. In the practice of asana, when the mind focuses purely on inhalation, exhalation, and the drishti, the resulting deep state of concentration paves the way for the practices of dharana and dhyana, the six and seventh limbs of Ashtanga Yoga. Instruction in Pranayama can begin after one has learned the Asanas well and can practice them with ease. Pranayama means taking in the subtle power of the vital wind through rechaka (exhalation), puraka (inhalation), and kumbhaka (breath retention). Only these kriyas, practiced in conjunction with the three bandhas (muscle contractions, or locks) and in accordance with the rules, can be called Pranayama. The three bandhas are "mula bandha, uddiyana bandha, and jalandhara bandha, and they should be performed while practicing Asana. When mula bandha is perfect, mind control is automatic. Patanjali developed Yoga teachings in these methods. By using mulabandha and by controlling the mind, he gradually gained knowledge of Yoga. Practicing Asana for many years gives the student clarity of mind, steadiness of body, and purification of the nervous system. Through the practice of Pranayama, the mind becomes focused and follows the movement of the breath. Pranayama forms the foundation for the internal cleansing practices of Ashtanga Yoga.
Pituitary and Pineal Glands The sixth Chakra is known as the 3rd eye and rules the higher senses of telepathy,
empathy, ESP, and other latent abilities within 85% of the brain which are not normally used. According to the Yogis, the pituitary gland of the sixth Chakra (Ajna) and the pineal gland of the seventh Chakra (Sahasrara) must join essences to open the 3rd eye.
Pituitary Gland The master gland is about the size of a pea, located behind the center of our forehead, between our eyes. The sixth Chakra is called the Ajna Chakra. It is at the brow between the eyebrows and just above them. It is the main control center that sends messages to all of the other glands from its two lobes, the posterior and the anterior. It prompts the proper growth of glands and organs and regulates sexual development. This gland is called the "seat of the mind". The frontal lobe regulates emotional thoughts like poetry and music. The anterior lobe regulates concrete thought and intellectual concepts. The pineal gland is known as the "seat of illumination, intuition and cosmic consciousness". The pineal gland compares to the pituitary gland as intuition is to reason.
Pineal Gland This cone shaped gland is located in the middle of the brain behind and just above the pituitary gland. The pineal gland contains pigment like that found in the eyes and is connected to the optic thalami. It controls the action of light upon our body. The pineal gland is located in the posterior end of the third ventricle of the brain and the pituitary gland is located in the roof of the third ventricle. The joining of the essences of these two glands in the third ventricle opens the 3rd Eye. The pineal gland acts in two ways to inhibit the action of the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland is responsible for activating adolescence and the beginning of sexuality. The pineal gland checks the pituitary gland to prevent premature sexual awakening. Human thought is regarded as a result of suspended action, and the pineal gland inhibits the immediate discharging of thoughts into action. This inhibition causes us to look inward and to deeply ponder our actions and reactions. Meditation is neccessary for Self-realization. It displaces attention from the outer material world to the inner space of consciousness. When the external world disappears, the circle of consciousness contracts. Primary attention is focused upon the inner true Self. Inner attention magnetizes "spiritual light" into the pineal gland.
The Third Ventricle The narrow opening of the third ventricle lies near the base of the cerebral hemispheres and separates the two thalamic areas. These areas are the brain's "storehouse" of sensory perceptions. When the pituitary and pineal glands are fully developed and stimulated through meditation on the sixth (Ajna) and seventh (Sahasrara) Chakras, their vibrations fuse and the 3rd Eye is activated. Once it is open there is personal access to higher knowledge. The Ajna Chakra is the "Eye of the Soul". When this Chakra is opened, psychic abilities begin to manifest which are finely tuned to the super-conscious mind. In this state of beingness, the memory and perceptions are accurate. The "Eye of the Soul" is the doorway to consciously travel into the higher dimensions of inner reality, the ability to visualize is amplified, and the imagination is expanded. The ability to project visions of the imagination is accelerated into the outer world for the creation of music and art. The senses are amplified, such as hearing and vision, by the ability to use inner senses to amplify information gained by all of the five senses.
The opened 3rd eye is known as the Eye of Horus and the Horn of the Unicorn. The Temple of Maat in early Egypt was dedicated to the process of opening the Third Eye. The Third Eye is an etheric, or fourth dimensional, eye. It acts as a sensitive receiver and transmitter, by which vibrations/frequencies of many types can be translated, interpreted
and dispersed into our third dimensional brains for gaining wisdom and illumination. Inner planes, thought forms, and the higher etheric realms are perceived through the 3rd eye. Pure clarity of the mind is developed. The physical eyes need a lens to send messages to the brain of the perceived light sensations. The 3rd eye's lens is located in the aura, just in front of the sixth Chakra. Psychic development of this lens is part of the discipline that leads to the accurate perception with the inner spiritual eye. Concentrating on the Ajna Chakra as a focus during meditation, develops the 3rd eye's lens. Shaktiananda Yoga practices teach how to awaken the Kundalini energy in the base of the spine to unite with Shiva energy in the Crown Chakra. Shaktiananda Yoga teaches how to awaken the pineal gland to unite with Shiva consciousness (Crown). Shiva and Shakti are magnetized to each other. The pineal gland is often dormant because the third dimensional self is focused on the outer sensory world rather than the higher spheres. Cosmic light descends to connect the individual through the optic thalamic nerve of the Crown Chakra. Once Kundalini energy has risen to the pituitary gland, it merges with the cosmic light that the pineal gland has received in the third ventricle. This experience is then increased by the grace of God/Goddess and enlightenment unfolds for the devotee.
Shiva-Shakti Marriage The human brain resembles a human androgynous embryo. The pituitary holds the positive, masculine charge and the pineal holds a negative, feminine charge. When masculine and feminine energies meet, it's known as the Mystical Marriage of ShivaShakti. This initiates the birth of multidimensional consciousness and conscious passage into the fifth dimension and beyond. The rising Kundalini (serpent energy) pulls magnetic energy up from the Earth through the sbtle nerve channels (nadis), into the medulla oblongata, through the pons area of the brain and down into the pituitary gland, behind the eyes. Increasing pituitary radiations pass through the third ventricle to awaken the pineal gland, which received light from the higher dimensions and frequencies. The feminine earth energy merges with the masculine pituitary gland and the feminine pineal gland receives the masculine unmanifest energy from Spirit. When the two awakened energies of Shiva and Shakti meet in the third ventricle, there is the union and harmony of spirit into matter; as the forces of spiritual light merge with the matter of our third dimensional brain. The human ego is dissolved as the soul experiences oneness with God/Goddess. The soul is wed to the Divine One; Absolute Reality. � CopyrightŠ2013 Self-Realization Shala Order All Rights Reserved